Hillcats game notes
Published on May 6, 2008 under Carolina League (CarL1)
Hill City Howlers News Release
LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (13-17) vs. WINSTON-SALEM WARTHOGS (12-15)
May 6th, 2008 -- 7:05 PM
Calvin Falwell Field @ Lynchburg City Stadium
RHP Jared Hughes (1-3, 4.31) vs. LHP Aaron Poreda (1-2, 3.07)
THE HILLCATS: Lynchburg scored five runs in the first two innings and held on for a 7-6 win over Winston-Salem on Monday night...The Cats are now 3-4 on this current stretch of 13 games in a row at home, the longest homestand in Hillcats history after playing 17 of their first 23 on the road...
VS. WINSTON-SALEM: Last season the Warthogs won the season series against the Hillcats 11-8...The Cats still hold the all-time advantage 139-123 and are 77-55 against the Hogs at City Stadium...
INCREDIBLE START: 3B Jim Negrych continued his phenomenal start for the Cats by reaching safely for the 28th time in 29 games played this year with a 4-for-4 performance with a pair of RBI and a run scored...He entered the day first in the league in hits (46) by 14, batting average (.414, fourth in all of professional baseball), tied for first in RBI (22), second in on-base percentage (.472), second in runs scored (22) and fifth in slugging percentage (.523)...The former sixth round pick from 2006 has recorded 17 multi-hit games in 28 starts this season and he is hitting an astonishing .526 (20-for-38) with men in scoring position...
CATCHING ON: Last season C Steve Lerud led the league in passed balls (25) and batted .202 with four home runs and 31 RBI in 84 games...This season Lerud has just two passed balls and is hitting .274 with five homers (tied for first in the Carolina League) and 18 RBI...He is also fourth in the CL in slugging percentage (.526) and tied for fourth in extra-base hits (14)...
ANGEL'S STARTING TO FLY: Through the first 12 games this year SS Angel Gonzalez was batting just .156 (7-for-45)...Since then he is hitting .343 (24-for-70) over the last 18 games...He has also scored 16 runs over that stretch and is for third in the league with 20 runs scored (tied with teammate Brian Friday)...
FLYING OUT OF THE YARD: On Saturday night a combined five home runs were hit between the Hillcats and Indians, a season-high for a Cats game this season...The three home runs Lynchburg hit were the most in a game this season and the Cats have now knocked ten home runs in their last 14 games after only hitting three home runs in their first 16 games...
BACK WITH THE BOOM: OF Jamie Romak made his 2008 debut on Friday night and went 2-for-5 with a double and on Saturday night he clubbed his first home run of the season...Last season Romak led all Hillcats with 15 home runs in 85 games played...The 2003 fourth round draft pick of the the Atlanta Braves was acquired by the Pirates in a trade in 2007...He was assigned to Lynchburg from extended spring training last Friday...
ROUGH GO OF IT: LHP Charles Benoit is off to a rocky start in 2008...He has battled an illness that kept him on the DL for a stint and has allowed 16 earned runs in nine and 2/3 innings pitched this season (14.90 ERA)...Last night was the third time in seven appearances that he has allowed four or more earned runs in an app and the lefty is now tied for the league-lead in losses with four...A season ago the 2006 10th round selection only allowed 24 earned runs all season long in 79 and 2/3 innings pitched (2.71 ERA)...
HITTING STRIDE: INF/OF Eddie Prasch extended his season-high hitting streak to twelve games Monday night with his 1-for-4 performance...The 2004 third round draft pick of the Pirates has hit .341 (15-for-44) over that stretch...He now has the longest hitting streak by a Hillcat this season...
CHANGING THINGS UP: Baseball America said LHP Tony Watson has the "Best Changeup" in the Pirates minor league system...The ninth round selection in the 2007 struckout 58 batters in 67.2 ip and walked just eight...
Carolina League Stories from May 6, 2008
- Dickerson Delivers Walk-Off Blast In 11th - Wilmington Blue Rocks
- Kinston Comes From Behind To Take Game Two - Frederick Keys
- P-Nats use long ball to respond - Potomac Nationals
- P-Nats Bullpen Impressive In 4-3 Win Over Pelicans - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
- Kinston wins fourth in a row - Kinston Indians
- Poreda Dominant as Warthogs Snap Road Skid - Winston-Salem Dash
- Extras unkind to Avs - Salem RidgeYaks
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